– headquartered Meta signed an agreement with India’s Reliance Industries to lease its first AI‑enabled data center in India. This facility will be located in the city of Jamnagar, in the state of Gujarat.
Key features:
- The facility will provide 168 MW of capacity, with options to expand.
- It will be powered by renewable energy and cooled using desalinated seawater.
- Meta will cover the full cost of energy and water supporting the site.
This agreement builds on Meta’s previous $5.7 billion investment in Jio Platforms in 2020, which supported connectivity and small business growth in India.
Jio Platforms Limited is an Indian multinational technology company, headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. Established in 2019, it acts as a holding company for India’s largest mobile network operator, Jio, and other digital businesses of Reliance.
Clean Energy Agreements:
Separately Meta has contracted nearly 1 GW of renewable energy projects in India:
- CleanMax: is a project that will deliver 837 MW of solar and wind projects in the Indian states of Rajasthan and Karnataka, bringing up the total capacity to over 900 MW.
- Fourth Partner Energy: ensures 88 MW of solar and wind projects across India’s states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.
These agreements align with Meta’s global objective of matching operations with 100% renewable energy.
Why this is important for the U.S.:
- India is Meta’s largest user base for WhatsApp (over 500 million users). An Indian-origin executive has been given charge of running the WhatsApp business rcently
- Investments are designed to strengthen Meta’s position in digital commerce, payments, and AI infrastructure.
- Focus areas: Meta’s India strategy spans social commerce (Meesho), education (Unacademy), telecom/e‑commerce (Jio Platforms), AI infrastructure (Jamnagar data center), and fintech/payments (CRED).
